


Enlighten Me

by Odiously



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: ;), Explicit Sexual Content, F/F, F/M, I Tried, I love fluff, I started it before like season 3 maybe, I'll add more tags later on, Promise, i'll include some stuff from all season, if you can even call it that, in later chapters though, lesbian gems lmao i love them, or don't that's okay too, originally on quotev, please give me ideas, pls be gentle with me, secrets and shit, slight angst, steven is smol bean, this fic needs to be edited realllly bad, this is my first SU fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-16
Updated: 2017-04-03
Packaged: 2018-09-17 20:50:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9343580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Odiously/pseuds/Odiously
Summary: As the Gems are on a mission to search and destroy a rogue gem, Steven comes upon a strange looking rock, keeping it for a memory to come. Little did he know that his memory would actually be a jazzy new gem, lost to the years after the war; after battle.And little did he know, his memory would be the source of a lot of confusing feelings. For who?Who else than Garnet, am I right?(I tried working around the Ruby and Sapphire thing. I started this fic before that reveal, so bare with me ;) )





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> like the summary says, I wrote this fic before the reveal of Garnet being a fusion. It took me a while to work around it, and I think I'm ready to start publishing chapters again :)  
> I hope you enjoy, and please don't be afraid to give constructive criticism. Not hate, criticism. There is a difference. 
> 
> also, this was originally The Bringer of Hope and Destiny, on Quotev, but the title was stupid and doesn't relate to the story at all. 
> 
> now you may enjoy :))

Steven sat on his butt as he watched the Crystal gems fight off a rogue gem. As he sits and watches as notices a slight gleam from the corner of his eye. His eyebrows creased as he turned his head. His face brightened up a thousand watts as he spotted a very shiny, colorful rock. It was almost clear, save for the different colors specked in it. It had gold, blue, green, pink, gray and some reddish color.

Steven grinned and quickly scrambled over to the shiny rock, picking it up, " Yes! Souvenirs!" He cheered and put his discovery in his pocket. He turned around, only to be quickly swept up by Garnet as the monster's tail took the place where he was standing. His eyes widened slightly, and he checked his pocket, making sure the rock was still there. When he felt it there he let out a sigh of relief.

Garnet put Steven back on the ground, a safe distance away from the fight, " Stay here." She said firmly before going back to the fight, her gauntlets pounding into the monster's side. Steven did as he was told, and he sat down again, watching in awe. In fact, he was so entranced by the fight, he didn't even notice the "rock" in his pocket glow.

 

Pearl, Amethyst, Garnet, and Steven all returned home after they had defeated the evil monster. Steven quickly ran off the warp pad, laughing and running around. He then proceeded to trip and fall, making him aware of the weight in his pocket. He scrambled up with a grin, wanting to show the Gems his awesome souvenir, "Hey! Pearl, Garnet, Amethyst!" He shouted, making his way over to Garnet before she could go into her room.

She turned and looked down at him, "Yes, Steven?" She said in her smooth monotone. Steven grinned more and fished the stone out of his pocket. Just as Pearl and Amethyst made it to them, Steven held out the rock he had found earlier, "I found this when you guys were fighting! Pretty cool, right?" He said, sounding proud of himself for finding something so beautiful.

Pearl's eyes widened noticeably as Amethyst giggled with a mischievous grin, "Wow Steven! That is pretty cool! Can I see tha-" She started to ask, but before she could grab the stone and run off with it, Pearl quickly snatched the stone away from Steven's grasp. She stared in awe at it, "Steven...this isn't a rock! It's another Gem!" She exclaimed, examining the pretty Gem.

Steven gasped, and his eyes held stars in them, "Really?! I found a Gem!? I guess that makes sense since I haven't ever seen a rock that pretty before." He acknowledged. Pearl nodded, teeming with excitement.

"From the looks of it, a very potent Gem, but I've never seen this one before." She frowned slightly, turning the gem in her hands, "There are so many different colors in this one gem, it's so...different..." She groaned and was about to hand it back to Steven when Amethyst pointed something out.

"Why is it glowing?" She asked dumbly. She already knew why it was glowing, but it seemed Pearl was so awed she didn't notice. Pearl looked down at the Gem and it was indeed glowing. She gasped and placed the Gem down quickly, making sure to back up. All of the gems, and Steven, watched in fascination as the gem quickly took its human form.

 

The Gem glowed a bright orange and started forming into a human like shape. The form was soon lowered to the ground gracefully, and the light dimmed down until it was nothing but a bright light shining from the woman's left eye. Steven's mouth dropped with a gasp, and he cheered, running in circles around the three cautious Crystal Gems.

The woman looked around in confusion, a soft expression coming to her face naturally. Amethyst finally put her arm out, making Steven smack right into it. He fell on his back with a small sound of distress." Hey..." He whined, getting back up. This gained the woman's attention and she faced Steven, a worried look on her face. She also looked a little panicked. She stepped forward a couple steps, but didn't get to the little guy before she had three weapons drawn and faced at her.

The worry almost completely slipped from her face as fear crawled into its place. She stuttered slightly as they slowly advanced towards her. She scrambled backwards, trying to get away from the menacing weapons. She could have pulled her own weapon out, but she didn't want to provoke anyone. The three strangers might think that she was pulling her weapon out to attack them instead of pulling it out in an act of defense.

Suddenly, Steven ran in front of the woman who he had brought with them, "Stop! Stop! Why do you guys have to pull out your weapons? She's obviously scared and confused!" He tried to reason with them. The strange gem observed the tallest one out of the gems lower her weapons, who was obviously listening to the small boy.

The others weren't keen on listening to the boy's reason. The purple one growled, "Well, what else are we supposed to do, Steven?!" She exclaimed, flailing her arms a bit.

The skinny, pale one nodded, "For once, I agree with Amethyst. She tried to advance towards you! She could be trying to hurt you!" She scolded, holding up her weapon again while pointing it towards the strange gem again. The young human looked desperate, and he looked towards the tall one for help.

"Pearl. Amethyst. Listen to Steven. We can hurt her if she threatens him, but only then. She hasn’t given us reason to hurt her, yet." She reasoned with the two. This time they seemed to listen and they hesitantly put their weapons back into their gems. The strange person let out a sigh of relief.

The human boy, named Steven apparently, turned towards her. He smiled brightly and opened his arms wide, "Hi! My name is Steven Universe! I'm a gem! Well...half gem. What's your name?" He introduced and the girl blushed slightly, a bit embarrassed by being frightened. 

She composed herself quickly and smiled gently, "I’m Topaz." She finally said after a moment's hesitation, "I’ve been on Earth for as long as I could remember..." She finally got out after another moment or so, propping herself up against the wall, slightly uncomfortable under the gazes of the three gems and a half.

The purple gem grinned mischievously, "Wait, you were made too!?" She asked excitedly, making the pale gem beside her tense. 

Topaz shook her head, "No. I was made naturally. But I had help from different Gems. That's how I'm different colors...I can't become a different color without a different gem..." She explained, making Amethyst deflate and pout.

Pearl let out an elated sigh, “That's a relief." She mumbled under her breath. 

Garnet crossed her arms, staring down at the new gem, "What can you do?" She asked in her smooth tone. It had an edge, though, as Topaz tilted her head slightly, furrowing her eyebrows into a confused expression.

"What do you mean?" She asked curiously.

"I mean, what are your abilities...your weapon?" Garnet explained. Topaz let it click in her head, "Oh! I'm mostly a healing gem. Right here and here." She explained, taping her head and heart, “I can also protect humans from all negativity."

Steven gasped and sat in front of her, "I'm a healing gem too!" He exclaimed, bouncing up and down. Topaz let her eyes close, a soft giggle escaping her as a smile graced her face.

"That's awesome." She said, patting Steven's head. He looked up at her in awe, blinking his eyes only once. Suddenly, he jumped to his feet, facing the other gems.

"She's gotta stay! Please?" He begged as Topaz stood to her feet. Pearl was ready to deny with no hesitation when Garnet spoke.

"Yes. She can stay." Pearl's jaw dropped in disbelief as Amethyst threw her fist into the air, cheering along with Steven. They soon both ran off, running outside to release the pent up energy.

"Garnet, you can't be serious!" Pearl exclaimed. Garnet just stared at her.

"Yeah. I'm pretty serious." She stated-seriously-before walking into her room, the door closing behind her. Pearl let out a frustrated squeak and turned to get a good look at the gem that would be staying with them.

She was actually very pretty, not as pretty as most but pretty. She had medium length hair that was colored uniquely and wavy. The ends were green with streaks of blue slowly crawling up the locks of grey. Her bangs also had blue in them, but they were mostly red. Part of her hair was pinned up in the back, most of the coloring being yellow until the hair started flowing down, turning into a pinkish color.

Pearl also couldn't help but notice how tall she was when she stood. A little taller than her, but not quite reaching Garnet's height. She looked over her clothing choices. Topaz had on a pink, long-sleeved, crop-top with a collar that was half-way up her neck, held together with two black pins. The crop-top had slight shoulder pads, and the middle of the top opened slightly, showing some cleavage, not it wasn't enough to be inappropriate.

Topaz also had on a red skirt that flowed to mid-thigh with a long piece of yellow silk stitched to the middle of it. The silk looked to be folded so it wouldn't drag along the floor. She looked down a little more and saw that Topaz wore greyish sandals. The look fit the orange-skinned gem.

Pearl sighed and stared into Topaz's yellow eye and orange gem, “Welcome to our temple." She mumbled and stuck her hand out to the Gem. 

Topaz's face brightened considerably and she took Pearl's hand, shaking it gently, "Thank you...what's your name?" She asked and Pearl smiled, feeling sort of warm and happy.

"Well, I'm Pearl. You've met Steven. The tall Gem with the shades is Garnet, and the rude one outside with Steven is Amethyst. I'm just going to apologize to you for her behavior in advance." She introduced before hurrying outside to get Amethyst and Steven inside since night had fallen just a few minutes ago.

Topaz watched her go outside before sitting on the couch with a sigh. Her body was still a little weak from resting for hundreds of years. Hard to believe, sure, but it happens. After that accident, she wasn't very surprised she had been in her gem form for that long. She settled down onto the couch and closed her eyes, waiting for the day to return.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> editing chapters are a pain in the ass :)  
> here's the next one

Topaz's POV

 

I opened my eyes when I heard the sound of annoying birds outside. It wasn't the high ceiling I saw when I did. Nope. It was the half-gem boy, who went by the name of Steven. He was staring down at me with a big grin as he sat on my stomach, "Morning, Topaz!" He exclaimed and I sat up, carefully pushing Steven off my stomach with a small, polite smile.

"Good morning, Steven." I said calmly. He smiled and stood up.

“I made you a sandwich! I don't know if you like to eat or anything, but I decided to make one for you just in case." He said happily, holding up the ham sandwich with cheese and mayo up to me. I giggled and took the plate from him.

"Thank you, Steven. I know we don't have to eat, but it's actually very nice...unique." I explained to him.

It didn't matter, though, if I had explained it to him why I ate. He just seemed very happy that I accepted his offer. He bounced on the balls of his feet, and I smiled down at him again, giving him a pat on the head. 

It surprised me when he burst out into a million questions. They were mostly personal, which I didn't mind at all. As long as he didn't go too far. I only stopped his questions because he was going a mile a minute, and I could barely understand him. When I did stop him, a sad look came across his face, and my heart broke into small pieces.

I pat his shoulder and gestured to the couch, "How about we sit down, and I can answer your questions one at a time?" I asked him. He brightened up and jumped on the couch, but jumped up again, exclaiming that we needed snacks.

 

 

We were both sat on the small couch that Steven had in his room. He's been asking me some questions as we ate popcorn and chips.

"What's your favorite color?" He asked me and I looked up to the ceiling, putting my thinking face on.

"I don't really know. Truthfully, I love all colors." I nodded my head once, deciding that was the best answer that I could reply with.

Steven nodded too and continued on with his questions, "What kind of healing stuff can you do? And you never answered Garnet's question about your weapon." He asked, tilting his head to look up at my face. It seemed like an easy enough question to answer.

"Well, I can do a lot of stuff with my healing gem. But, mostly it's based on the way you think, or if you're mentally broken inside." I stated and he raised an eyebrow at me.

"Mentally broken?" He questioned and I shrugged.

"Like, when humans go into shock. Or depression. The stuff that involves negativity! I can heal all of that, along with deflecting it. I'm supposed to bring joy, and happiness and keep it stable." I explained, trying to keep it simple. His facial expression pretty much said 'Oh! I understand now!' and I laughed quietly.

"How do you do it?" He asked me, and I almost choked on the piece of popped corn I had in my mouth.

"Um...well. I basically channel my body energy to where it needs to be. For example, a hospital. So many people lose hope there and stop fighting. They stop fighting against their illness, I mean. When I channel my energy it rejuvenates the patient's spirit, therefore rejuvenating the physical body." I said, drawing out a mental diagram for Steven so that he could understand better.

He seemed to understand and smiled up at me, "That's really cool! I wish I could do something like that. What else can you do?" He asked me energetically. I thought long and hard for a second.

"I can give really good massages…”

Steven bursted out into laughter. I blushed slightly and coughed into my hand, “There’s no need to laugh at that, Steven." I mumbled and he jumped off the couch, apologizing quickly.

"Sorry. So, what is your weapon? Mine's a shield!" He stated and he activated a pink shield. I clapped for his display and giggled.

"That's a nice shield you got there." I complimented and scratched at the eye patch I had placed over my gem.

"I know right?! Now I have to be able to see your weapon!" He said happily and stared up at me patiently. I sighed and nodded my head, having to oblige since I was able to see his Gem weapon. It was only common courtesy right? I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, lifting my blue eye patch, placing my hand in front of my eye as I let my weapon come out slowly. I grabbed the case and swiftly pulled the sword out.

I didn't hear the warp pad as I took the blade out of it's Precious Topaz case, the strong metal glinting brightly in the light as I lifted my sword a little higher for Steven to see it better. Next thing I know, I'm being tackled to the ground by a tall, dark figure. I let out a gasp of surprise when I'm pinned to the ground by the tallest Gem in the room, Garnet.

I stare up at her with a look of shock and confusion." Um...wha?" I asked in a slightly shaky tone as Garnet scowled at me, lifting one of her gauntlets like she was about to punch me. I then realized that she was going to punch me, and my pupils dilated slightly in fear as I tried to struggle out of her grip.

I could faintly hear Pearl ask Steven if he was okay frantically, but I couldn't register anything else. Except for the Gem trying to punch me in the face of course. I started feeling really scared, and fear spiked through my very core. I'm not a fighter! I'm a lover! I felt small tears prickle in the corners of my eyes, and I puffed out my cheeks, frustrated that I was really about to cry in a situation like this.

Suddenly I heard shouting for someone to stop and Steve popped up in my line of vision, pushing on Garnet's side as hard as he could. She was a rock, though, and he wasn't able to push her off me, but she got his message and moved away from me. I sat up quickly and scrambled towards the wall, clutching my chest as I made my weapon disappear.

"Steven what are you thinking!?" Pearl shouted and took out her own weapon, ready to charge.

"No! Don't hurt her!" Steven exclaimed and jumped in front of me. Amethyst growled.

"Steven, she was trying to hurt you! Just let us do our thing!" She said, an evil smirk forming on her face.

I shivered and wished that I had the ability to disappear into walls, "No, she wasn't trying to hurt me! She was just showing me her weapon like I asked her to!" He explained frantically, still trying to protect me. My breathing was heavy as I tried to calm down from my panic attack. There were a few moments of silence before I heard a faint cough.

"O-oh...I'm sorry. I didn't realize." Pearl spoke and I shook my head while standing shakily to my feet.

"N-no! It's fine! It probably looked different since you came in at that exact moment. Plus I-I'm just some stranger that you just met. It's completely understandable that you would think I would do that." I got out finally, swallowing slightly so that my dry mouth could dampen.

I heard a sigh of disappointment and looked up, seeing Amethyst pouting, "Man, I was really hoping to get a beating on someone." she grumbled and walked towards her room, "Welp! See you losers later!" She snickered and walked through the door. 

I frowned and coughed into my hand, "I should...uh...get out of here for a while. Maybe stretch my legs out for a bit." I muttered quietly and started for the door. Before I could make it though, I felt a hand circle around my wrist.

I jumped lightly before turning around and looking down at Steven. He had a strong look of determination on his face, "Not yet! You deserve an apology!" He insisted, but I only shook my head.

"N-no! I-it's fine really!" I replied back.

"No. He's...he's right." Pearl jumped in. I turned to look at her.

“No. You already apologized. Everything's cool! I promise!" I declared with a warm smile. That did absolutely nothing as Steven turned to Garnet, giving her a look that made her sigh.

"I can't say no to that face." She said, turning to me, "I'm very sorry for attacking you." She stated in a sincere voice. I smiled and shook my head.

"Like I said, it's fine. I'll be okay, and I'm not hurt or anything." I smiled once again and turned toward the door again, this time going out of it. 

 

As soon as I got far enough from the temple, I took in a deep breath, smelling the ocean air. I already felt a lot better just from being outside. I walked along the beach quietly, feeling at peace with myself. Suddenly, I got an idea and flipped up my eye patch, holding my hand in front of my gem as I concentrated on the object I wanted.

I felt a light, but heavy, weight in my hand, and I rolled the object out on the sand. I quickly sat on the soft blanket with my legs crossed. I closed my eyes and listened to the ocean waves, my hair slowly lifting from its place against my shoulders as I slipped deeper into the calming waves of water. 

Then I felt someone tackle me to the ground-for the second time today. My concentration broke and I let out a small squeak as I felt a weight on top of me. I opened my eyes and saw the face of...Steven. I grinned and sat up, ruffling his hair. It took me a few moments before noticing Amethyst hidden slightly behind a giant boulder, grinning evilly. I could just see the crazy plot going through her head.

I shook my head before greeting her, "Hello, Amethyst." I called out and she waved towards me, quickly running over to stand beside Steven, who was on his feet again.

"Dude! What was that thing you were doing?! That was awesome! The way your hair was like, WHOOSH!" Amethyst went on about describing what I was doing and I just laughed at her gestures, which were quite hilarious.

"I was meditating. It's something I do when I get stressed. I just...you know. Listen to my surroundings and let myself sync to it. I'm literally one with the Earth." I snickered at my own pun, laying on my back as I stared up at the clouds. Steven made a sound of awe.

"So cool! I wish I could do that!" He said wistfully and I grinned.

"Maybe I'll teach you another day." I promised, and stood up, making the blanket disappear, "Amethyst, Pearl, and Garnet can join too, if you want." I offered, and he nodded his head eagerly.

"That would be great!" He decided before grabbing my wrist. He started to drag me off in a direction, "Come on! I'll show you around Beach City! You can meet the locals and my friends!" He said and I hummed in response.  
"That sounds really awesome." I replied, letting him drag me towards Beach City.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here's a new chapter, my beauties
> 
> pls enjoy

We finally made it to Beach City, as Steven calls it. It's really been a while since, everything happened. I'm just happy to finally get some fresh air after being in my gem form for so long, "Hey! We should go to the Big Doughnut!" Steven exclaimed, bringing me out of my thoughts.

"The...what?" I asked him, tilting my head in confusion.

Steven gasped, "Have you ever had a doughnut before?" He asked disbelievingly. I didn't know what a 'doughnut' was, so I shook my head.

“No. What's that?" I asked him, and he shook his head. He started to drag me faster than before towards a shop with a big circle on top of it. Except the circle had a hole going through it. I raised an eyebrow at it before we both slipped inside. I saw two people sat at the counter, the blonde standing dutifully at the counter with a smile on her face as the human with red hair sat slouched in a stool with his feet propped up on the counter as he read a book with mostly pictures. He had something in his ears that was spitting loud noises.

Steven smiled brightly before dragging me to the counter, "Hi Sadie! Hi Lars!" He greeted. It seemed this 'Lars' person wasn't listening to Steve, but Sadie was. She happily greeted him back before looking up at me. Her jaw went slack, making it drop down slightly. I smiled cheerfully at the short woman and waved shyly.

“Hello. I am Topaz. You are, Sadie yes?" I asked her, stretching my hand out towards her.

She closed her mouth and blushed a bit, taking my hand and shaking it gently, "Yeah. That's my name!" She replied, smiling happily. I looked over at the other guy, raising an eyebrow at him before leaning over the counter with my arms crossed on the smooth surface. I reached over with one hand and snatched his comic book away from him, successfully getting his full attention.

"Hey! Give that ba-" He started to say as I pulled the book away from him with an unamused look on my face. He continued to stare up at me before returning back to reality, a bright blush on his face. He tried to play it off cool, but he was failing big time at it, making me laugh softly. I gave him his comic book back before backing up to stand beside Steven again.

"You shouldn't slack off at work." I scolded, making him look down at his feet while he rubbed his neck. I smiled at this and put a hand on Steven's head, “So, show me this “doughnut” you were talking about." I said down to Steven. Before he could open his mouth, Lars slammed his hand down on the counter, gaining my attention. As I rested my gaze on him, his cheeks dusted a light pink before he shook it off. I removed my hand from Steven's head, waiting for him to speak.

"Wait, you've never heard of a doughnut?!" Lars exclaimed raising a disbelieving eyebrow towards me. 

I shook my head, "No, I'm afraid not. I've been stuck in my gem form for over 100 years." I explained, looking behind me at the door. Lars chuckled nervously.

"Haha, that's pretty funny!" He smiled and I frowned.

"I wouldn't think of it as funny, I've missed a lot trying to heal..."

Steven sensed the tense atmosphere and smiled, patting my shoulder, "That's okay, Topaz! I'll try to catch you up! And I'm sure Pearl will help too!" He reassured and I nodded my head, feeling better. Steven turned towards Lars, receiving a dirty look from the red head, "We'll take two chocolate sprinkles please!" He ordered. Sadie nodded and put two 'chocolate sprinkles' into a bag, handing it to Steven as he paid for the thing we were to enjoy.

I smiled at Sadie and wished her luck before leaving the doughnut shop, following Steven's foot steps. 

 

Sadie looked over at Lars, who was looking dreamily at the door, "Hey Lars...I think she was one of those Crystal Gem girls..." Sadie whispered, also looking at the door. Lars shook his head.

"Nope. Definitely a beach girl." He sighed contently.

Sadie frowned and shook her head, "Then why was her skin orange? And her hair different colors?" She asked defiantly. Lars deadpanned as he looked at her.

"Duh. Spray tan and hair dye. It's obvious!" He argued back, sitting down on the stool to read his comic book again. Sadie groaned and shook her head, refusing to argue with him today.

 

 

I smiled as I played in the arcade with Steven. It was actually quite fun once you got the hang of it. I suddenly felt a tremor run through the ground, and I stopped playing the game I was at. I took a look outside and my face dropped. I saw...Amethyst with her face against the window with Garnet and Pearl standing behind her.

I rose an eyebrow as she grinned, Garnet walking into the arcade while starting towards me. My eyes widened and I looked around, trying to find Steven. I finally saw him at a car game, crashing into the sides of the virtual track. I frowned and turned back around, only to meet a wall of garnet and black.

I slowly looked up and met Garnet's eyes(?). She looked down at me and crossed her arms. I groaned and turned away from the game completely, "What did I do this time?" I asked with a slight huff. Garnet smirked slightly, her shades flashing in the dim lighting. I'm not going to lie, it kind of intimidated me.

"Nothing. Amethyst insisted that we should go back to the temple and play board games or cards. We don't have any missions yet, and she's getting bored..." She explained and I nodded.

"I'm okay with that...what about Steven?" I asked, pointing towards him getting really into a game. Amethyst suddenly burst into our conversation.  
"Don't worry about him! He'll be fine!" She insisted. I sighed, giving a slight nod. We all started towards the exit, my eyes looking back at Steven once more before we all started heading back to the temple. I couldn’t help but notice the small, suspicious glare Pearl threw at me, no matter how subtle she tried to be.


	4. Chapter 4

I took a deep breath in as I looked at the different stacks of cards on the table. We had made it to the temple about 15 minutes ago. I was very confused, though. If Amethyst was bored, wouldn't she have found a way to be not bored? She didn't really have to play cards with Garnet and I. She could be destroying stuff, or bothering Pearl. Maybe even doing whatever she does in her room.  
But I didn't question it. It could possibly be her being lonely. Besides, she was hanging out with Steven earlier and we kind of bolted. Now that I think about it, we didn't really bother to ask if she wanted to join. I heard snapping right beside my ear, and I came out of my trance. I looked down and saw Amethyst. She smirked and put her hands on her hips.  
"What's got you in la la land?" She asked suspiciously with good humor. I frowned and looked down at my feet.  
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to space out." I apologized. She waved it off and turned towards the table.  
"Nah, it's fine! I was just asking which card game we should play." She gestured to the table with cards.  
I frowned and scanned over them, "How about...all of them?" I asked hesitantly and she grinned.  
"Yeah! That's a great idea. I like the way you think, Topaz." She admired slightly before picking up a stack of cards with the word 'Uno' printed on each separate card. I smiled and sat on the stool.  
"How do you play that game?" I asked her, making her grin.  
"I'll show you. Matter-o-fact, I'll go ahead and teach you the rules of all the card games we're going to play tonight!" She offered, more like demanded, and sat down in front of me.

 

Half an hour later, I've learned all the rules of the card games. Most of them seemed pretty simple enough. Amethyst grinned at me, "So which game do you want to play first?" She asked, just as Garnet warped in from the warp-pad. We both looked over to her. I smiled politely and waved while Amethyst cheered. She jumped down from her stool and ran over to the tall gem.  
"You got here just in time! Are you ready to play some cards?" She asked, bouncing on the balls of her heels. Garnet stared down at the purple gem silently before giving her a nod.

"Yeah. I guess I can play a game or two."  
I smiled at that and started dealing three stacks of seven with the Uno cards. Amethyst ran over to the table, jumping up on the stool as she picked up her cards. She made sure that I wouldn't be able to see them. I giggled and picked my cards up as well. Garnet walked calmly towards the table we sat at and sat down beside Amethyst. She picked her own cards up and looked over them carefully.  
"Alright! I get to go first! Topaz, you go after Garnet since you dealt the cards!" Amethyst cheered, putting a blue 10 card on top of the red 10 card.

 

Amethyst now had half of the deck. Garnet and I were both tied with one card each. The tall gem was very good at this game, and we both tried to get each other more cards. But no matter how many +2 cards we put down we always ended up in a tie with one card. I was starting to grow a little bit frustrated with the game.  
I let out a sharp sigh as Amethyst put down a green 2. I frowned with half closed eyes as I looked down at my card, but immediately grinned as I saw the card I had. I put down my yellow 2, making Amethyst's face fall, "Aw, what!?" She cried out as she slammed her hands down on the smooth, wood surface of the table.  
I smirked triumphantly at her and folded my arms across my chest, "So, what's the next game?" I asked her and she scowled.  
"No way! I call rematch!" She demanded, making me shake my head.  
"Rules are rules! I played the game fair and square!" I laughed. She pouted and looked over at Garnet.  
"Garnet," She whined, "Help me out here!" Garnet shrugged and put her card on the deck.  
"She's right. Rules are rules." She told her. Amethyst groaned and violently put her cards on the stack.  
"Fine, whatever. I'm going to sit out on this one..." She grumbled, slouching in her seat.  
I nodded my head and looked towards Garnet, "You can pick the game this time." I suggested and she hummed in response, picking up a standard deck of cards, "I pick War." She decided and dealt the whole deck equally. We both faced our cards down so that we wouldn't be able to see the numbers on our cards. Then the game began.

 

Garnet and Amethyst stared at the deck in disbelief as I placed the last card of my deck on the pile. It was an Ace, so I claimed the cards under my card as my own, officially winning the game, "I win." I stated quietly as I sorted the cards so they were organized and facing the right way.  
There were a few minutes of silence before a hand slammed on the table. I looked up, shocked to see Garnet scowling slightly. Amethyst burst into a fit of uncontrollable laughter as Garnet stood from her stool, leaning over the table with a stoic expression, "I want a rematch." She demanded firmly.  
I tilted my head, "But...I won fair and square." I told her, which didn't really matter.  
"I don't care if you won fair and square, I want a rematch." She stated in a deadly calm voice. I sighed and slouched in my seat, identical to the same posture Amethyst was in 10 minutes ago.  
"Fine. We can have a rematch." I groaned, giving into her demands.  
Garnet nodded and sat back down. She shuffled the cards a lot better this time.

 

She won the second round. She seemed pretty happy about it, which made me smile. Suddenly the door opened and Steven walked in, "Hey guys have you seen Topaz? She wasn't at the arcade when I went to get he-" He finally turned around and saw me, sighing in relief as he did. Amethyst chuckled.  
"Sorry about that. We kinda stole her from you. We played cards, and she actually beat Garnet at her game!"  
Steven's jaw dropped, and he looked at me, "Really?! That's like...impossible!" He told me and I smiled.  
"Not impossible, Steven. Just really, really hard." Garnet mumbled, trying to hide her pride as she put the cards in their respective boxes.  
I took a look around the room and noticed something, "Hey...where's Pearl?" I asked and Amethyst shrugged, not really caring. Garnet pointed to a door with a pearl on it.  
"She's in her room doing...whatever she does. Probably sparing with that hologram of hers..." She said putting her arm back down. A light bulb went off in Steven's head, and he came running over to me.  
"Hey Topaz, can you teach me how to do that meditating thing?" He asked excitedly, standing right in front of me with a puppy dog face. Amethyst was right behind him.  
"Yeah! That was so cool! You gotta teach us that!" She pleaded. I was just beginning to break when Garnet interrupted us.  
"Meditation?" She asked and I shrugged.  
"They saw me on the beach after the whole weapon incident. I was a bit stressed, so I kind of relaxed, and apparently it was 'cool'." I explained. It was silent before Steven and Amethyst went back to begging.  
I sighed and gave into their whims with a grin, "Oh, alright. Grab a couple of blankets and head over to the beach. I'll meet up with you there." I ordered and they quickly grabbed some blankets before running out. I chuckled quietly before using my own gem to bring out my blanket. As I was about to walk out the door I felt a hand on my shoulder.  
I turned around and saw Garnet standing behind me. Her hand quickly slid off my shoulder as she stood straighter." Can I join you in your meditation?" She asked me, tone slightly teasing, like the way she talks to Steven after a joke. I beamed, nodding.  
"Of course! Along with Pearl and anyone else who would like to join." I said happily. She sent a small smile my way before following after Steven and Amethyst to grab her own blanket.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> going over and editing these chapters, I'm just now realizing how cringy I really was lmao
> 
> this is going to be the last chapter update for today, I'll update some more, maybe next week?

Steven, Amethyst, Garnet, and I walked into the temple after a successful try at meditating. Garnet chose to sit on the couch while Amethyst and Steven ran around the room giggling and laughing. I beamed at the laughing pair and sat down on a stool. Things seemed to be going well after waking up from my gem form; at least I didn't awake while I was still-

I shook my head to clear those thoughts hurriedly. I didn't want to think back on my past. It was too destructive, and I certainly didn't want to break in front of the Crystal Gems. I snapped out of my thoughts and looked up. Steven and Amethyst were running towards me with a hopeful gleam in their eyes.

I smiled at them as they slowed down to a stop in front of me, "Hey Topaz! You wanna play truth or dare with us?!" Steven asked me and Amethyst nodded. I furrowed my eyebrows in thought.

"Hm...I don't know." I said cautiously, and Steven put on his puppy dog face. I groaned and jumped off the stool.

"Fine, fine! I'll play Truth or Dare with you." I relented, making the purple gem and half-gem cheer.

"I'll grab the bottle!" Amethyst shouted before running off into her room. Steven grabbed my wrist and pulled me up the stairs to where his bed was, moving the TV so that there was more room for the three of us to sit.

 

 

We were all situated on the floor in front of Steven's bed, sat in a medium sized circle with the bottle in the middle. We stared at the bottle before holding up our hands shaped in fist. We were to play rock, paper, scissors to decide who went first. We pumped our fists three times before shaping out an object.

Amethyst was rock, I was scissors, and Steven was also rock. I was out already, so I watched the two of them. Amethyst and Steven faced off one more time. Steven was paper and Amethyst was scissors. She went first to spin the bottle. She smirked and fist-pumped the air before spinning the glass.

It landed on…

Steven.

Amethyst grinned and looked at him, "Alright Steven. Truth or dare?" She asked. He puffed out his chest and put his arms across his chest.

"Dare. Because I'm not afraid of a simple task!" He said proudly, making Amethyst and I snicker.

"Okay, big guy. I dare you to do a handstand!" She told him, and he nodded.

He quickly stood to his feet and bent over with his hands on the floor. He pushed weight onto his arms and kicked his feet into the air, doing a handstand. It was successful for about 2 seconds before he fell on his face, making us laugh. He popped his head up from the floor with a grin, "I did it!" He cheered and I gave him a high-five.

"Yeah, yeah. Just spin the bottle already." Amethyst rolled her eyes, and Steven did as he was told. He gave the bottle a good spin, and we all watched it point towards me. I sighed and looked at Steven.

"Truth or dare?" He asked me and I shrugged.

"Truth." I replied making Amethyst boo at me.

"Lame!" She groaned, and I pursed my lips.

Steven smiled and tapped his chin, thinking of a question, "If you had to date anyone here, right now, who would it be?" He asked and I pursed my lips.

"I don't know. I don't know you guys very well, but if I did have to date someone, it would probably be Pearl." I reasoned slightly making Amethyst's jaw drop.

"Aw, what!? Why?!" She asked skeptically, cheeks flushed a little darker than usual. I shrugged.

"She seems like a nice person to have a conversation with. It would only be a date, not like a serious relationship. A date doesn't have to include a person you have interest in, a date can be going out with a friend!" I defended myself, making Amethyst purse her lips and narrow her eyes at me.

"That’s not exactly works." She grumbled, but I brushed it off.

I spun the bottle, making it land on Steven again, "Truth or dare Steven?" I asked him and he grinned boyishly. 

"Dare!" He cheered and I smirked.

"I dare you, to try and lick your elbow while saying your ABC's!" I challenged, and he set to work on his mission. As he tried to lick his elbow, his voice came out muffled. It was ridiculously hilarious!

I heard a door open and saw a young human girl walk in, "Steven there is a human in the temple. Do you allow humans here?" I asked, panicking slightly at the new stranger. Steven stopped his challenge to look at the girl and grinned.

"Connie! You're here!" He said joyously before running down the stairs to see her.

Amethyst turned to me, "Certain humans are allowed in here as long as they don't touch our stuff." She sighed and leaned against the bed. Steven and the Connie girl talked for a couple of minutes before he pulled her up to where we sat. I waved at her, and she waved back at me. She seemed very nice.

"Connie, this is my new friend, Topaz! We found her when we were on a mission!" He introduced, and she held out her hand.

"Wow! So, like, you're a Gem too?" She asked excitedly and I nodded, deciding the girl is pretty sweet. I shook the hand that was held out to me.

"Yes. I am a Gem." I replied, and she squealed in delight.

"You guys are so cool!" She sighed out contently, and I pursed my lips.

"I don't really think I'm cool." I told her honestly, making Steven and Amethyst gasp loudly.

"Aw what!? Dude, you're like the coolest!" Amethyst told me. 

Steven backed her up, "Right! You are cool! You have a cool weapon, you have a cool healing gem, and you have mad meditation skills!" He listed off on his fingers.

I sighed. You guys wouldn't think I was so cool if you knew about my past, I thought to myself. I didn't voice it, though, because I really didn't want to explain my past to them just yet. If I told them, they would probably tell to leave and never come back. Or worse, Give me sympathy. So I just smiled, “Oh, that’s what you meant! I thought you were talking about our temperature. I’m actually quite warm.” I joked, looking down at my feet as I wrapped my arms around my knees.

Suddenly, Connie's phone went off as the three snickered. She groaned and took her phone out of her pocket, quickly answering it. After a minute or two she hung up and sighed, "I have to go. I have tennis practice in 20 minutes, and mom wants me home a few minutes early." She explained, picking up the bag she had brought in earlier.

Steven let out a whine of defiance, making me giggle. I turned to Connie once more, “It was nice meeting you. Have a safe trip." I ruffled her hair, making her blush lightly.

"It was nice meeting you too." She smiled, running out the door. Amethyst held in a giggle before clearing her throat.

"So where were we?" She asked, and I pointed at the bottle.

"I believe it is Steven's turn." I pointed out, and she nodded slightly before sitting up off the bed. Steven and I sat back down in our spots as he spun the bottle. The bottle landed on Amethyst making her cheer.

"Truth or dare?" Steven asked and she rolled her eyes.

"Dare, duh." She said in a mocking tone.

Steven pursed his lips and tapped his chin, "I dare you to switch clothes with Topaz, and wear her clothes until your next turn!" He said and she shrugged, standing up while grabbing my wrist to drag me into her room.

 

 

We both came out of her room a few minutes later. I felt strangely out of place with the slightly baggy clothes on my body. My clothes looked a little tight on Amethyst, but she looked like she didn't mind. We sat down quickly, "The deed is done. My turn, chumps!" She said proudly and spun the bottle hard.

We watched in anticipation as it landed on me. Amethyst smirked and looked up at my face, "Truth or dare, Topaz?" She asked mischievously and I bit my lip.

"Dare." I stated boldly, and her smirk grew, the siren like calls of Steven’s suspense egged her on. She sat up straight and coughed into her hand.

"I dare you to roll some dice, multiply the number by two, and stick that many ice cubes down your pants."

My mouth dropped, but I quickly closed it and whined. "Fine." I grumbled and used my gem to summon some dice. I shook the two dice in my hand for 3 seconds before letting go. The dice landed on...7. I shouted in displeasure as Steven and Amethyst laughed. I frowned at them before creeping down the steps with a dark aura hanging around my head.

I grabbed 14 ice cubes before running back up, breath as the two watched me with amused eyes. I wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible, so I stuffed them all down the front of my pants in 2 seconds flat. It was very cold, and it had me jumping around in circles as the two, immature, gems laughed their little butts off.

I glared at Amethyst with an evil smirk, making her freeze, "What are you laughing at? These are your pants." I taunted, and the look of realization on her face had me laughing so hard, I could barely breathe. I sat back down on the floor and spun the bottle, chest aching from laughter. This time it landed on-

I heard a door close, and I looked around to see Pearl coming out of her room, "What is with all the noise?" She asked with some annoyance tinted in her voice. 

I smiled sheepishly, "I'm sorry, Pearl. Steven and Amethyst insisted that I play truth or dare with them." I apologized, making Amethyst punch me on the shoulder.

"Hey, don't put this on us." She hissed lowly and I shrugged. Pearl's eyebrows furrowed and she let out a sigh. 

"I see..." She said lowly and looked over at Garnet, who was still sitting on the couch reading. It seemed to calm Pearl, knowing that Garnet was there watching after us, "As long as you guys are okay." She said with a small, weary smile.

I gave her a thumbs-up before getting back to the game. I saw that the bottle landed on Steven, "Truth or dare?" I asked him and he shrugged.

"Truth." He replied, making Amethyst boo. I thought for a little bit on a question. I then remembered the way he was acting around Connie. I smiled impishly.

"Who do you have a crush on?" I asked him, and his face immediately went bright red.

"U-Uh, I don't have a cr-crush on anyone." He said quickly-a little too quickly.

"Now, Steven. You know it's not okay to lie." I said in a fake, innocent voice. Amethyst burst out laughing as Steven's face burned brighter.

"Oooh! She caught you in the act!" She joked, making me laugh alongside her.

"F-fine, I have a crush o-on-." He mumbled the last word so I couldn't hear him, and I lifted an eyebrow with a smirk.

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that." I teased and he pouted.

"I said I had a crush on Connie!" He said a little exasperated. I smirked and high-fived Amethyst.

"Awesome. You can spin the bottle now."

He narrowed his eyes at me slightly as he tried to calm his red face. I just simply smiled at him, pointing at the bottle. He grumbled something under his breath about getting me back before he spun the bottle. It landed on Amethyst and she fist-pumped. Before Steven could ask, though, I dragged her by the wrist towards her room so that I could change out of her clothes.

 

 

We sat back down, "Dare." She stated before Steven could ask. He pouted and crossed his arms.

"Okay. I dare you to sit in Topaz's lap for the next two spins." We both groaned, and she quickly moved into my lap.

 

 

15 minutes and two dares later, the bottle Steven spun landed on me. I was actually pretty worried, though. The last dare, I did I could see Amethyst and Steven plotting something, and it had my head spinning. I didn't know what they were going to do. Steven smiled at me.

"Truth or dare?" He asked and I bit my lip.

"Dare?" I asked hesitantly and his smile grew.

Okay, now I was really worried, "I dare you to go kiss Garnet on the cheek!" He said boldly, and my face fell. There was a moment of silence before a small blush crept onto my face.

"I-I'm not so sure." I said in a hushed whisper. Amethyst gasped dramatically.

"No. Don't tell me! You aren't going to chicken out on us now, are you?" She asked, trying to annoy me into saying I would do it.

It worked. I growled and jumped up, "I am not a chicken." I hissed menacingly before stomping downstairs. A moment later I stopped on the third step, realizing that I had just agreed to the dare. I groaned as I could hear the snickers of the little trouble-making duo.

I walked down the rest of the stairs with a calm face, taking a small glance up to where the game was held and saw Amethyst and Steven staring down at me with devilish grins. My face fell further, and I looked away from them, walking slowly over to the couch where Garnet and Pearl sat. I stood in front of Garnet after taking a few more strides.

"Garnet?" I called to her timidly, and she looked up from the book she was reading.

"Yes, Topaz?" She replied back and I bit my lip, taking one more step towards her. I could hear the muffled giggling from the little imps just a few feet away. I took a deep breath in through my nose and leaned down. I pecked Garnet on the cheek, and I felt her tense.

I pulled away immediately and turned around, not missing the shocked look on Pearl's face as I ran up the stairs again. Steven and Amethyst let out their giggles as they fist-bumped. I scowled at them with a blush on my face, "You guys are awful..." I whined quietly. They shrugged after finally calming down.

I frowned and peaked over the edge to check on the two gems below. Pearl was still looking a little shocked, and Garnet was just...sitting there. She was still tense, and I could just barely see her mouth hung open a bit. Apparently, Steven and Amethyst wanted to check on her too. They stared down at Garnet before Amethyst spoke.

"Dude, I think you just broke Garnet..." She whispered and I tensed, turning to her.

"Don't say that! You might make it come true!" I hissed, making her laugh.

"Okay, okay! Let's get back to the game! I'm sure she'll be fine!" She assured before crawling back over to her spot by the bed. Steven did the same right after.

I spun the bottle and it landed on Amethyst, "Truth or dare?" I asked her and she shrugged.

"Truth I guess. Some of your dares are pretty lame..." She said truthfully, making me pout.

“Fine, whatever." I muttered before thinking, "What's your guilty pleasure?" I asked her and she smiled.

"Oh that's easy! Little Butler is!" She said, and I rose an eyebrow.

"It's a show she and my dad used to watch all the time." Steven explained and I nodded.

"My turn!" Amethyst called out and spun the bottle. The end pointed towards Steven and she looked over at me, an impish smile growing on her face again.

"Truth or dare, Steven?" She asked and he puffed out his chest.  
"Dare!" He said making me smile impishly along with Amethyst. I knew this had to be good...


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)) first time I wrote this chapter I cried.  
> I'm a terrible person

Amethyst rubbed her hands together evilly, "I dare you..." She leaned over and whispered it into his ear. His face grew bright red as he shook his head.

"No! I can't do that! Anything but that!" He pleaded, but she just stared at her nails with an amused expression on her face.

"That's the dare you get. If you can't do it, we can always just drop you out..." She said with a fake solemn tone.

His eyes went wide before his expression turned serious. He stood up determinedly and faced Amethyst, "I accept your challenge!" He replied before going downstairs. Amethyst’s cheeks puffed out as she tried not to laugh. She punched me lightly on the shoulder before scrambling over to the side where she would be able to see Steven.

I took that as my cue to follow her, so I scrambled over beside her, staying just as quiet. I saw Steven stand in front of Pearl. She noticed him and looked up, smiling brightly at him,"Do you need something, Steven?" She asked him, and he coughed into his hand before he reached over and grabbed onto her left boob.

My mouth dropped in disbelief as Amethyst clapped a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing even more. Pearl's face was priceless, her mouth set in a straight line as her eye twitched, her body tense as she glared down at Steven blankly. I clapped a hand over my own mouth to keep from laughing as Pearl's eyes shifted from Steven's face to his hand on her female assets, "Steven, what are you doing?" Pearl asked cautiously.

Steven kept his hand there before he nodded, "Very squishy indeed." He said, with the most stoic expression he could muster up. Pearl blushed and smacked his hand away as she jumped up off the couch. Amethyst couldn't hold it in anymore, and she burst out laughing and snorting, my laughter radiating along side hers.

Pearl looked up at us and glared. I shut up immediately, but the purple gem beside me didn't know how. Pearl growled, "You did this!" She exclaimed and ran up the stairs to come after Amethyst with a rain of vengeance. I didn't want to get in the way, so I moved far away from Amethyst. She gasped, mock hurt traced inside the lines of her face.

"You betray me! I am wounded!" She cried dramatically, only to turn into a bird and fly up.

"Not yet you aren’t!" Pearl yelled and chased after the purple gem-bird. I laughed at the two of them and climbed down the stairs to stand next to Steven.

"Wow..." I giggled as Steven blushed a deep red.

"Well that went better than expected..." He said optimistically. I had to agree with him.

"At least she isn't chasing after you." I added under my breath.

Steven looked behind him at Garnet, and saw she was starting to unwind a bit from what happened earlier. He pursed his lips and tugged on the sleeve of my shirt. I looked down at him with a smile, "Yes?" I asked him and he smiled back.

"We should help Amethyst out..." He commented and I sighed.

"Fine..."

 

 

Steven and I finally got Amethyst out of the rut she had dug herself into. Steven apologized and we went back to our game of truth or dare. It was the second time the bottle was spun since we started the game again, and it was Amethyst who spun it. The bottle's end pointed towards me and I gulped.

Amethyst grinned like the cat who caught the canary, rubbing her hands evilly like she did when she dared Steven to touch Pearl's boob. I decided to go with truth when she asked, and I saw her face fall slightly. I knew I had picked the right path. I was ready for the question she was going to ask me. It was probably going to be something silly, since she hadn't planned a truth.

It took me by surprise when she asked me a question that sent my thoughts into a downward spiral, "What's your deepest, most darkest secret?" She asked with a wicked grin. My eyes went wide and my thoughts went straight to my past. I felt my eyes widen, but it didn't feel like me, feeling numb all over. I couldn't get out of my thoughts.

I felt like I was suffocating. I couldn't register the voices that were muffled, no matter how hard I tried to focus on them. All at once, memories came flooding back to me.

 

 

It's been 50 years since I've woken up here on Earth. I was very comfortable where I was, and I felt at peace with myself. I was happy. But then they came. They called themselves 'The Gems from Homeworld' but I didn't know what this 'Homeworld' was. I told them that I wasn't from Homeworld, and that Earth was my home.

Their whole demeanor changed when they heard this. They immediately went to chaining me up and restraining me, shouting insults to bring me down. They boarded me onto a ship and locked me in a dark cell, where I could barely see my hands in front of me. Since I was a gem, I didn't need sleep, or anything to eat.

But I did sleep. Not because I needed to, but because it passed the time. So that I wouldn't sit in a corner and rock myself until I drove myself crazy. After a few months of that, someone finally entered the cell. I thought it was someone who was coming to rescue me, but it wasn't. It was another one of those 'Homeworld' people.

They kept demanding that I work for them and be their little slave. Every time I said no, and every time I did, the gem would take their weapon and cause any physical damage they could. And finally, after the 20th day I got tortured, I broke. I said yes to being their slave, because I wasn't strong enough to withstand the pain.

So, after I said yes, the gem smirked and told me when I would start doing their bidding. She told me all the horrible things I would be doing, and I wished that I had said no. I wished that I had chosen Death instead of what they would have me do. The gem slammed the door to my cell closed, and I was left in the dark room, feeling broken and close to tears.

10 years later and I had killed so many others to a point where I couldn't even count the bodies of the dead anymore. I still couldn't get free no matter how many times I've tried. Every time I get caught and tortured until they think I've learned my lesson. And sometimes, they even tortured me for no reason, except to entertain their own sick pleasures.

And then the war came along a year later. There was some experiment with Earth going on, and the thought of Earth getting hurt in the process almost killed me to think about. I might've been a gem, but Earth was where I was born. Earth will forever be my home. Not this...Homeworld place these gems keep telling me about.

A few weeks into the war, and I heard some talk about a gem named Rose Quartz. By the sound of it, it seems that Rose was the leader of the enemy Homeworld was fighting. And when I heard word of her name, it gave me hope. Courage that I would stick this war out enough until I got the chance to escape and make it over to their side.

And I still got caught. I was tortured worse than before, since I was trying to escape to the enemies side. If I did, I could have given away some pretty valuable information on the war. It made me smile at the thought. Homeworld losing to a few people who loved Earth as much as I did. That would teach them.

On the day of the last battle, I felt the ship rock and shudder before gravity left us. I started floating in mid-air as the ship went down in a downward spiral towards Earth. This was my chance, I remember thinking, and I quickly found a way to protect myself. The ship exploded and I was knocked into a huge wall of rock.

But the most important thing that day, was that I was alive and free. I could feel the familiar terrain under my feet and hands. And once I had regained feeling of my surroundings, I cried. I cried pure tears of joy and happiness. Unexpectedly, though, a dark shadow loomed over me, making me tense.

I slowly looked up and saw beautiful, curly, pink hair and soft features. I looked at the gem in her human form and let a small sob escape. Rose Quartz. I was in the presence of the one person who gave me hope for the past year. And I embraced her. I let out all the pent up tears I had been holding in.

And the best part was that she didn't pull away, she just held onto me even tighter.

 

 

I heard yelling all around me when I finally awoke from my trance. Amethyst was shaking me harshly with a panicked look on her face. I blinked twice before looking around. Pearl was off to the side with a worried look on her face. Steven was standing close beside her with tears running down his face.

And Garnet, I couldn't see Garnet. Then I was aware of the firmness I was leaning against that wasn't there when I first slipped into my trance. I quickly jumped away from the body behind me and tensed, still jumpy from my memories. I calmed down slightly, though, when I realized it was just Garnet.

Everything was quiet, and the air grew tense. I noticed the dampness of my face and reached up to touch it. I removed my hand and saw fresh water. I was crying...why me? I frowned and slowly looked up to meet the gazes of the other gems. Amethyst spoke up.

"If you didn't want to answer the question, you didn't have to..." She offered with a small, broken smile.

Steven broke away from Pearl and ran over to me, engulfing me into an embrace as he buried his face into my abdomen, much like I did with Rose Quartz. My eyes went wide and I felt the tears starting to overflow. I clenched my teeth together and tried to push the painful memories away.

Garnet noticed my internal struggle and stood to her feet. I wrapped my arms around Steven and backed up slowly towards the wall before sliding down it, pulling him tighter against me as I buried my face into his hair, sobbing quietly. The room was silent once more as I tried to stop. This boy. Steven. He reminded me so much of Rose...

I pulled away from him finally after what felt like hours of non-stop crying. I hate this. Breaking down in front of others, it's my worst nightmare, really. Steven smiled brightly at me before patting my cheek and jumping out of my lap. I smiled back at him sadly before standing shakily to my feet.

"I'm just, going to go out for a while." I mumbled quietly before bolting for the door that led out to the beach. I heard some shouting that was meant for me, but I didn't pay attention to them. I just wanted to get out of there. I needed fresh air, but mostly I needed to get away from their gazes. It was already humiliating for me because they saw me practically break.

I kept running without looking back. I didn't care where I was, I just really wanted to be alone. But from the sound of footsteps close behind me, it looked like I wouldn't be getting that anytime soon. I reached a cliff that overlooked the beautiful ocean water before I finally stopped to catch my breath.

The footsteps stopped behind me after a few moments and I let out a sigh before sitting down. We sat there in complete silence for a total of 5 minutes before I felt someone sit beside me. I didn't bother to look at the person who sat beside me. I mostly concentrated on not crying, but I still couldn't contain the small tremors my body made from the whole flashback experience.

"I saw it all..." I heard from beside me. And I wouldn't have acknowledged her, but her sentence struck me to the core. I swiftly moved away from Garnet, feeling (and probably looking) terrified.

"What?" I whispered in horror as she stared back at me.

"I said, I saw it all. Your experience of the war, you experience those first months, the torture, the death, Rose Quartz. I saw it all." She replied back with no hesitation whatsoever.

Tremors started to rack my body from head to toe as I wrapped my arms around my knees, "How?" Was the only thing I could get out through the violent shakes of my body. She looked me in the eye.

"When you kissed my cheek, somehow you unconsciously linked to me, and I saw everything." She explained in a way I could understand.

I nodded silently before looking away. We sat in uncomfortable silence for a few moments." I don't want your pity, I don't want anyone's pity, I just want to be happy." I spoke as I looked at her with a tear rolling down my face. 

She smiled back at me slightly and nodded, "I know."

My lip quivered and I sniffed, trying to reign my tears in. All of a sudden I felt a presence behind me and I looked up to see Garnet sitting down behind me. She crossed her legs and picked me up by my waist, setting me down in the spacey middle.

She carefully wiped my tears away before stroking my hair softly. I let a few more tears roll down my face before I wiped them away and leaned back against Garnet's comforting figure. I listened to the soft, rolling waves before closing my eyes, feeling as if I were reliving the comfort brought to me by Rose.

 

 

Pearl and Amethyst sat a distance away to watch the two gems. She was so happy and joyful all the time, it was hard to believe she had even killed one person, let alone more than you could count. Pearl was about ready to boot her out of the temple until she heard the trembling voice and shaky breath, signaling that she was once again distressed. But what really got their jaws dropping was the display of affection that Garnet had just given her.

The two decided that they should be left alone for a while and come home on their own time.

As they walked back to the temple, it was silent until Amethyst let out a tiny squeal, "We have to get those two together!"


End file.
